Joker's Asylum: Penguin #1

Storytelling Duties Have Temporarily Been Handed Over to the Joker

Sep 20, 2008

When an insane asylum patient tells a story, you better listen up--especially if it's the Joker. Sit back, relax, and listen as he spins a tale of woe about the Penguin.

That's the premise behind the new weekly comic book series from DC, Joker's Asylum. Each issue tells a story about one of Gotham's villains as narrated by the Joker himself. There are five issues in the mini, each dedicated to a different member of Batman's rogues gallery. This time around, Gotham's own waddling, waugh-ing wise guy, Oswald Cobblepot, alias: the Penguin.

Joker's Asylum: The Penguin #1

In the criminal wasteland that is Gotham City, you can buy pretty much anything. Oswald Cobblepot is a big time gangster, nightclub owner and all around very rich man, but the one thing he can't seem to buy is love. Oh, he has his arm candy, but the women who want him for his money aren't enough and he's left feeling empty by these shallow relationships.

All that changes when he meets Violet, a young woman being sold as property on the black market. When she asks him to help her, he does, buying her and setting her free like a caged bird.

What Oswald doesn't count on is his growing feelings for Violet. Furthermore, he can't foresee what will occur when she finally finds out what kind of man he really is. Not a savior, but a psychopath.

Tech Specs and Final Verdict

Once upon a time, back when the old Batman live action series was making a splash on network television in the 1960's, Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin became a smash hit. He was debonair, yet villainous. In 1992, with Tim Burton's Batman Returns, Danny DeVito put a whole new spin on the character, making him darker, more menacing and a lot less charming, which was badly received by longtime Batman fans and criticized for being too out of sync with the character's comic book counterpart.

These two are the most well known versions of the Penguin, yet, neither of these incarnations are what we see in Joker's Asylum: The Penguin. Instead, Oswald Cobblepot's characterization is almost a cross between the two. He has the cuddly, harmless, nearly debonair air of Meredith's Penguin, but he's also a sick, twisted homicidal maniac--harkening back to Burton's Penguin. This is a delicate balance to strike, but Jason Aaron pulls it off beautifully.

Oswald in Joker's Asylum is a man who's had his heart trampled on by countless beautiful women, who think him nothing more than a freak or a sugar daddy. He's desperate for affection but can't seem to shake his criminal habits once he finally finds love. He's a tragic figure, really, almost a modern day Quasimodo, reaching for love and beauty with gnarled, monstrous hands that can only destroy anything he touches, no matter how gentle his grasp. Aaron's writing brings out the pathetic nature of the character and parades it for all to see, but never in a mocking manner.

Jason Pearson's art is heart wrenching and emotionally potent. From Oswald's first appearance as a heartbroken teenager to his final goodbyes with Violet, his humanity is written all over his face. The scratchy, heavily inked panels are interesting and invite the eye to linger on them, studying their every nuance. It's very powerful stuff, though probably not everyone's cup of tea--especially not for those who enjoy the highly polished, highly stylized streamlined comic style in which everyone is gorgeous beyond perfection. Pearson's work isn't pretty, but it's definitely got personality.

One of the great things about Batman is just how human his rogues gallery really is. Sure, they're larger than life and exaggerated to the point of being absurd, but underneath the gimmicks, each of the villains represents a very important, very personal aspect of the human psyche. In Joker's Asylum: The Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot is the part of us that's afraid of being ostracized and rejected because of traits that we can't change. He appeals to us here, begging for us to understand what's made him the way he is and perhaps even pity him for it.

For a one-shot, Joker's Asylum: The Penguin delivers a strong, poignant story that's memorable and wickedly intriguing.

Other Books in the Mini-Series:

The copyright of the article Joker's Asylum: Penguin #1 in Graphic Novels/Comics is owned by Lydia Ballard. Permission to republish Joker's Asylum: Penguin #1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.